is the word 'diary' better than the word 'blog'? probably not.

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Just Drive, She Said.

Just Drive, She Said.

You know what else I love about the Badlands? I can breathe there. Today Evany and I attempted to add a chapter to our book in progress, High Noon: A Dumbass Guide to Hiking, by climbing some rock formations at, well, noon. And, given that we were basically in the desert, it was HOT. Get this, EVANY THOMAS has a tan! That�s how hot it was. And get this: I could breathe well and deep the whole hot searing sweaty time. I don�t remember when the last time was that I was hiking AND able to breathe so well at the same time� maybe never? But, hey, in the desert there are very few plants! It was exciting!

It was also very beautiful. And hot. We climbed a weird and shaky rope ladder up the side of one of the craggy walls and then followed a path to an overlook onto the plains below. We took lots of photos that will probably only be meaningful to us. Because you have to be there.

After the climbing and sweating, we got in the car and drove 450 miles. I think I drove like 115 of those. Energy-Evany never pulled over to let me take the wheel back like we planned. Anyway, it doesn�t matter how much or how long you�ve been driving, it�s always the last 30 miles that seem to stretch out forever. So tonight we are in Sac City, Iowa, having driven all through South Dakota. We rushed along the larger Interstate 90 most of the day and then made our way back to Hwy 20, which will take us most of the way to Chicago. We�ll get to Chicago tomorrow or the next day, depending on our progress, our stops and our whims. Then maybe I�ll put on some lipstick because I�ll be meeting some h2so4 writers.

Why lipstick? Today Evany declared that we were at the height of our �who cares� look. It made me realize that I have not really looked in the mirror or thought about what I was wearing since I left San Francisco. It�s not that we have looked bad�I�ve seen some cute pictures on Evany�s digital camera screen. It�s just that we haven�t given any thought to outfits or appearances, and today was definitely the apex of that particular unconcern. When we stopped in Mitchell, SD to look at the Corn Palace (a building covered with historical depictions made out of ears of corn) I looked in the bathroom mirror and realized that my hair was sticking up in really strange ways all over the place because of the strong winds blowing through the non-airconditioned car. Oh well.

Here are some billboards we saw in South Dakota:

Abortion: aren�t you forgetting someone? [drawing of a baby]

Animal research saves animal lives too. [photo of a happy kitty]

Abortion: the choice that takes lives.

The Bible says ye must be born again.

We arrived at the only motel in Sac City to find that they only had two rooms left, each with only one queen bed; all the doubles were already taken. We looked at the tiny rooms and decided we each needed to have our own. It has been a long hot day and a queen bed is small. So I am currently in Room 20, next door to Evany in Room 19. Oh. And we also ate pizza at an old train depot which was haunted by a living replica of a wolfman. I am referring to a real person who was either "special" aka retarded or maybe a psychopathic killer? In any case he was angry that we were eating pizza. Even though he works at a pizza place. Here we are drinking beer and trying to ignore his furious presence.

Stats:

Badlands, SD to Sac City, IA (Elevation 1250; Population 2368)

Miles: 458!

Lodging: $35 each

10:47 p.m. - August 31, 2004

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